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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: trunk · tube · bore · branch · bank · land · straw · pitch

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. land — ground
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bank — for money
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. land — a country
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. tube — the underground
  13. bank — of a river
  14. branch — a division
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. bank — for money
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. bore — to drill
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. pitch — completely
  22. tube — a container
  23. land — to come down
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com